Routes Conferences updates
UPDATES ON ROUTES AFRICA IN SEYCHELLES GENERATE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FLOW Regular reporting on the Routes Africa event which is scheduled for July in the Seychelles capital Victoria on the main island of Mahe has led to a flurry of additional information being availed, for the other Routes Conferences for the various regions around the globe. […]
East Africa’s power woes continue as TANESCO admits to being literally broke and unable to pay power producers
TANESCO ADMITS THAT BEING BROKE AND UNABLE TO PAY TO BLAME FOR OUTAGES In a startling development it was learned overnight that TANESCO, Tanzanias power distributor, has run short of cash and was unable to pay independent power producers, in turn compelling them to switch off their plants as they could no longer buy fuel. […]
Uganda news update – New opinion poll claims over 70 percent dissatisfied with the direction the country is taking
RUDE NEWS FOR GOVERNMENT AS OPINION POLL CLAIMS OVER 70 PERCENT DISSATISFIED Ugandans will be waking up to news today that the latest opinion polls carried out across the country peg the level of dissatisfaction and disillusionment by the people with the governments performance to well over 70 percent, a stark change from a year […]
Rwanda hospitality news – Cross section of hoteliers and managers demands more training for staff
RWANDAS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TAKES AIM AT HOSPITALITY SECTOR Hoteliers in Rwanda have called upon the Workforce Development Authority to step up their training in the hospitality sector to equip staff already in the workplace with better skills and sensitize them to the needs of customer care, according to information received from Kigali yesterday. WDA […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition March 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on Facebook where the articles also cross load or read the daily […]
Kenya’s Minister of Tourism Najib Balala sacked by his party chairman
KENYAS TOURISM MINISTER NAJIB BALALA SACKED A cabinet reshuffle announced this afternoon in Nairobi revealed that Kenyas successful and widely respected Minister of Tourism, presently also the Chairman of the UNWTO Executive Committee, was unceremoniously dumped from his ministerial post after reportedly locking horns with his ODM party chairman and presidential aspirant Prime Minister Odinga, […]
ICAO holds African and Indian Ocean Regional Aviation Safety Meeting in Kampala
ICAOS REGIONAL AIR SAFETY CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAMPALA ICAOs 1st ever Regional Aviation Safety Group Meeting for Africa and the Indian Ocean islands commenced this morning in Kampala, to be followed in two days by the 18th AFI Planning and Implementation Regional Group Meeting at the same venue, the Imperial Royale Hotel in the Nakasero […]
Tanzania aviation news – KADCO gets new chairman, new board
KILIMANJARO AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT COMPANY GETS NEW BOARD As preparations continue to expand and modernize JRO and bring the 1970s style airport into the 21st century at last Kilimanjaro International is the main aviation gateway to the famous northern circuit national parks of Arusha, Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti government has appointed a new board of […]
British Airways set to battle for East African market share
BRITISH AIRWAYS FINALLY FIGHTS BACK From the Worlds Favourite Airline it has been a long way to being just another airline coming to East Africa and the strikes and subsequent negative reports last year did little to swing public opinion back to BA, translating into yielding traffic share to other airlines coming to East Africa, […]
Tanzania tourism breaking news – President Kikwete appoints new TTB chairman, Minister appoints new board members
TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD GETS NEW CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTORS It was confirmed over the weekend that President Kikwete last week appointed Ambassador Charles A. Sanga as the new Chairman of the Tanzania Tourist Board. The Minister of Tourism Ezekiel Maige subsequently appointed new members of the Board of Directors to serve alongside the new chairman, namely […]
UNWTO selects Arusha as venue for first Pan African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management
UNWTOS FIRST PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM SET FOR ARUSHA The recently concluded ITB in Berlin / Germany brought good news for Tanzania as pen was put to paper between the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the Government of Tanzania to hold the first ever UNWTO Pan African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management […]
African aviation news – Routes Africa comes to Seychelles in July
ROUTES AFRICA DEAL SIGNED AND SEALED, ANOTHER FIRST FOR SEYCHELLES The seventh Routes Africa Conference was signed and sealed last week when the organizers and the government of Seychelles put pen to paper to formalize the announcement made a few weeks ago, when in fact the global media were present in Victoria to report about […]
About the trials and tribulations of a frequent traveller – Valued guest on board, suspect on the ground
VALUED GUESTS AND PASSENGERS IN THE AIR, SUSPECTS ON THE GROUND When joining the inaugural flight of Qatar Airways to Kigali earlier in the week in Entebbe, and when returning from Kigali back to Uganda, the excesses and follies of the so called security once again stared me in the face. Here in Uganda, the […]
Seek justice at the East African Court, registrar tells environmentalists and conservationists
THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE AWAITS YOUR CASES, CONSERVATIONISTS TOLD East Africas conservation and environmental groups found reasons to smile broadly earlier in the week when it became public knowledge that the Registrar of the East African Court of Justice in Arusha had not minced words when encouraging NGOs and individuals who have issues […]
Tanzania’s aviation infrastructure to get boost with new radar centres
MORE RADAR STATIONS FOR TANZANIA TO IMPROVE MONITORING It was learned that the presently single radar station in the country in Dar es Salaam will soon be supplemented with new radar equipment to be installed in Mwanza, the countrys lakeside municipality on Lake Victoria, where construction is at an advanced stage according to information received […]
Kenya Roads Authority targets luxury apartments and villas in Mombasa
TAMARIND VILLAGE OWNERS VOW TO RESIST ROADS AUTHORITY When news emerged earlier in the week that the Kenya Road Authority has floated plans to build another bridge from the island of Mombasa to the northern mainland, and along the route of the old pontoon bridge which at the time allowed only one way traffic until […]
Rwanda embarks on Google Mapping of key attractions, parks and tourist hotspots
RWANDA EMBARKS ON GOOGLE MAPPING OF TOURISM ATTRACTIONS, ANOTHER FIRST Today is a significant day in Rwanda as work will go underway for another First, where Rwanda takes the lead in the region and on the continent, with teams going out into the field, especially the Western part of the country with the national parks […]
Kigali Serena and RwandAir host joint evening to launch loyalty card schemes
KIGALI SERENA AND RWANDAIR HOST CORPORATE CLIENTS The Kigali Serena Hotel and RwandAir last evening hosted a wide range of corporate clients, including leading bankers, to present their respective loyalty schemes Dream Miles and Prestige Club. The two schemes, offering a variety of benefits to members, will undoubtedly be more closely aligned in coming weeks, […]
Kenya aviation news – Gulf Air set to go daily from 01st June onwards
GULF AIR GOES DAILY TO NAIROBI EFFECTIVE 01ST JUNE Information was confirmed from Nairobi and Bahrain that Gulf Air will move from presently 5 flights a week to daily departures between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Kenyas capital city of Nairobi. The increase in frequencies appears prompted by sharply grown demand for seats, mainly connecting […]
UK hostage taken in Kenya freed in Somalia, bringing 6 months drama to an end
AMISOM FORCES PRESSURE PROMPTS RELEASE OF UK HOSTAGE IN SOMALIA Judith Tebbit, abducted by Somali terrorists of the Al Shabab movement in September last year from a beach camp in Kenya, when her husband was in fact shot dead during the night time raid, has been freed and flown to Nairobi yesterday according to sources […]
Arrest turns conservation group and media against KWS CEO
ARREST TURNS MEDIA AND CONSERVATION GROUPS AGAINST KWS CEO News from Nairobi were received with some incredulity when it became known that the General Manager of Eco-Tourism Kenya, a well respected conservation and best practice organization long established in Kenya, was arrested. This apparently followed a complaint by the KWS Executive Director Dr. Julius Kipngetich […]
Uganda tourism news – Nile Safari Lodge makes it into bestselling travel guide
NILE SAFARI LODGE MAKES IT INTO THE 1.000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE If it had to be any closer to the River Nile, it would have to be in it I wrote many years ago following a visit to the then Nile Safari Camp, now the Nile Safari Lodge, the first to be […]
Qatar Airways comes to Kigali, at last
QATAR COMES TO KIGALI, AT LAST When I checked in for the inaugural flight to Kigali in Entebbe at noon yesterday, it was clear from the first moment that this was going to be different. At the document pre-checking point a TRULY friendly smile, a professional look at my passports relevant pages and not aimlessly […]
East African aviation news – Qatar Airways announces date for Mombasa flights ahead of Kigali inaugural
QATAR AIRWAYS EAST AFRICA UPDATES As the inaugural flight from Doha to Kigali, via Entebbe, is preparing for departure from the award winning airlines home base, their PR team already on site in Rwanda has released more information about their future route planning for the Eastern African region. It was previously mentioned here that one […]
Uganda tourism news – Country gets respectable third place ranking for Africa at ITB
UGANDA STAND COMES THIRD AT ITB Winners this year for best African stand was to the surprise of many Morocco, which seemingly met the expectations of the judges when the votes were cast and counted, followed as runner up by last years surprise winner Burundi, which in 2011 dethroned Rwanda after a reign of 4 […]
Interpol initiates a series of raids on ivory smugglers and traders in over a dozen African countries
INTERPOL JOINS LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN BIGGEST RAIDS EVER Now that the raids have taken place it is time to reveal how Interpol worked hand in hand with more than a dozen African countries and their wildlife management and law enforcement agencies to carry out a series of raids, including across Eastern Africa, to arrest […]
Tanzania’s aviation sector set to meet in Dar es Salaam this week to discuss new policies and strategies
NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT FORUM SET FOR DAR ES SALAAM MEETING Tanzanias aviation sector is set to convene in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday and Thursday this week to discuss opportunities and constraints for the airline industry, bringing an estimated 200 experts from Tanzania and the wider region together. Also expected are representatives from ICAO, IATA […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and from the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition March 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on Facebook where the articles also cross load or read the daily […]
Rwanda’s Presidential Advisory Council put tourism and conservation high on the agenda
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON TOURISM On the eve of linking Rwanda with 5star flights to the rest of the world through Qatar Airways award winning service QR is the first of the major Gulf giants to fly daily to Kigali effective 21st of March did news emerge that the Presidential Advisory Council met with […]
Tanzania tourism news – Singita Grumeti adds new ‘safari residence’ to their circuit
SINGITA GRUMETI GAME RESERVE ADDS NEW SERENGETI HOUSE Information was received overnight that Singita Grumeti Game Reserves have embarked to convert a former managers house into an upmarket residence for tourist visitors. Up to 8 visitors at a time can stay in the house when ready, and a total of 4 self contained suites, offering […]
